I’ve owned seven small wood stoves over the last 20 years and the Dwarf 4K from Tiny Woodstove is by far my favorite.
Thick welded steel holds a fire almost as well as cast-iron but is less fragile and cooks better.
Under fire air, over fire air, front glass air-wash, and a direct-air option gives the control you need to get a small stove with a short chimney up to temperature quickly, and then lets you choke it down for a slow, hot, efficient burn.
(I’d love to see this thing with an EPA certification but to do that they would have to weld most of the air controls shut, which would massively decrease its functionality. Maybe someday they will offer two versions.)
Pre-threaded holes on the sides and back of the stove allow heat shielding to be mounted directly. We didn’t do this but probably should have.
The price is extremely reasonable, especially if you get it on sale in the summer.
The smaller diameter class A pipe and accessories they sell fills what has been a frustrating gap in the small stove market for years.
Our 4K is mounted at the end of our kitchen counter, where we cook on it every day. It sits on top of a 2 inch thick 26 inch square (should’ve been 28) 100lb rebar-filled concrete hearth with wood storage underneath, and a 24 gauge galvanized steel heat shield that reaches 14 inches higher than the stove in back.
We are also are using a custom fabricated 36 inch long (should have been 40) water-jacketed section of stainless steel pipe to heat our hot water, which I will describe in detail in a future post.
The 4K is pretty oversized for the space but works well with our high thermal mass interior that we charge up like a big heat battery twice a day. The 3K would give a steadier, more even heat but you do need to be around to tend it.
The wood storage tub holds about 30 lbs of wood and lasts 2 days. By the way, this little Fiskars hatchet surprised the heck out of me, it’s really good! Also simple salad tongs are indispensable for catching stray embers.
My only complaint is that they don’t have a stove top oven like the 5k! Otherwise, we are stoked (pun intended) on our stove!
-Brian
December 15, 2020
How much do they cost
January 13, 2021
Hi, just curious how the water boiler flue works. Does it affect draft significantly? Does it create creosote or soot deposits in the flue? How fast can it heat water? Does it bang or pop much? How do you stop when your water tank is hot?
Thanks.
February 13, 2021
Too bad they can’t get certified like the Kimberly did. In fact I believe the only small stove to ever get certified is the Kimberly with a .2 cubic foot firebox. That stove is now being retested to meet the mew 2020 standard. I suppose you get what you pay for